COMPONENT FOR JOINING UPPER AND SOLE PARTS OF AN ARTICLE OF FOOTWEAR

Abstract

A chassis part for connecting upper part and a sole part of an article of footwear with a flange structure, a sole part and an article of footwear comprising a chassis part and a method for joining an upper and sole are disclosed. The chassis part comprises a base portion and a flange portion at the periphery of the chassis part. The base portion is arranged on a lower level than the flange portion and provides at least one cavity on the upper side of the chassis part and at least one downward extending portion on the underside of the chassis part. The at least one cavity is arranged to accommodate filler material, the at least one downward extending portion is arranged for engagement with the sole part, and the flange portion is arranged for joining to a flange portion of the upper part.

Claims

1. A chassis part for connecting upper part and a sole part of an article of footwear with a flange structure, the chassis part comprising a base portion and a flange portion at the periphery of the chassis part, wherein the base portion is arranged on a lower level than the flange portion and provides at least one cavity on the upper side of the chassis part and at least one downward extending portion on the underside of the chassis part, and the at least one cavity is arranged to accommodate filler material, the at least one downward extending portion is arranged for engagement with the sole part, and the flange portion is arranged for joining to a flange portion of the upper part.

2. The chassis part according to claim 1, wherein the at least one cavity extends substantially over the foot supporting area of the sole part.

3. The chassis part according to claim 1, wherein the at least one downwards extending portion and the corresponding at least one cavity have a substantially similar contour.

4. The chassis part according to claim 1, wherein the at least one downwards extending portion and the corresponding at least one cavity have different contours.

5. The chassis part according to claim 1, wherein at least one downwards extending portion of the chassis part has a substantially similar contour than a corresponding cavity provided in an outsole of the sole part.

6. The chassis part according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional profile of the chassis part resembles a tray.

7. The chassis part according to claim 1, comprising at least one cavity provided with at least two parts of different depths.

8. The chassis part according to claim 1, comprising at least one shank element between an outsole member of the sole part and at least one downward extending portion of the chassis part.

9. The chassis part according to claim 1, wherein substantially the entire volume of the at least one cavity is filled with filler material.

10. The chassis part according to claim 1, wherein the filler material is pre-attached into the at least one cavity before lasting.

11. The chassis part according to claim 1, comprising a snap-fit arrangement between the filler material and the chassis part.

12. The chassis part according to claim 1, wherein the filler material comprises ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) or similar soft foam material.

13. The chassis part according to claim 1, comprising at least two chassis parts.

14. The chassis part according to claim 1, comprising a separate welt component under the flange portion and around the base portion.

15. A sole arrangement for an article of footwear, the sole arrangement comprising: a chassis part comprising a base portion and a chassis flange portion for attachment to an upper flange portion extending from an upper part of the article of footwear, the base portion being arranged on a lower level than the chassis flange portion to provide at least one chassis cavity on the upper side of the chassis part and a downward extending portion on the underside of the chassis part; filler material in the at least one cavity; and an outsole member comprising edge portion at the periphery of the outsole member, wherein the flange portion of the chassis part is placed above the edge portion.

16. The sole arrangement part according to claim 15, the outsole member comprising at least one outsole cavity for accommodating the at least one downward extending portion of the chassis part.

17. The sole arrangement part according to claim 16, wherein at least one downwards extending portion and corresponding at least one outsole cavity have a substantially similar contour.

18. The sole arrangement part according to claim 15, wherein the chassis flange portion is placed on the edge portion of the outsole member.

19. The sole arrangement part according to claim 15, comprising a separate welt component placed under the flange portion and around the base portion of the chassis component, and on top of the edge portion of the outsole member.

20. The sole arrangement according to claim 15, further comprising at least one of a footbed, a heel cup, or a sock above the filler material.

21. Article of footwear comprising: an upper part comprising an upper flange portion; a chassis part comprising a base portion and a chassis flange portion, wherein the base portion is on a lower level than the chassis flange portion to provide at least one chassis cavity on the upper side of the chassis part and at least one downward extending portion on the underside of the chassis part, and wherein the chassis flange portion and the upper flange portion are stitched together; filler material in the at least one chassis cavity; and a sole part comprising edge portion at the periphery of the sole part, wherein the chassis flange portion is placed above the edge portion.

22. The article of footwear according to claim 21, wherein the upper flange portion comprises a lasted welt.

23. The article of footwear according to claim 21, comprising at least one of a stitch-out structure, a corner-stich structure, a mechanically stitched structure or a hand stitched structure for joining the upper part and the sole part.

24. A method of producing an article of footwear, comprising: stitching an upper flange portion of an upper part to a chassis flange portion of a chassis part comprising a base portion, wherein the base portion of the chassis part is provided on a lower level than the chassis flange portion to provide at least one chassis cavity on the upper side of the chassis part and a downward extending portion on the underside of the chassis part; placing filler material in the at least one chassis cavity; and joining a sole part of the article of footwear to the upper part through the chassis part.

25. The method according to claim 24, comprising placing the filler material into the at least one cavity before stitching the chassis flange portion to the upper flange portion.

26. The method according to claim 24, comprising placing the filler material into the at least one cavity after stitching the chassis flange portion to the upper flange portion.

27. The method according to claim 24, comprising inserting the at least one downward extending portion of the chassis part into a corresponding outsole cavity.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Various exemplifying embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the attached drawings. Steps and elements explained herein may be reordered, omitted, and combined to form different embodiments and any step indicated as performed may be caused to be performed in another order. In the drawings:

[0027] FIG. 1 is a perspective and partially sectioned view of an example of an article of footwear according to the herein describe principles;

[0028] FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C are views of an example of a chassis part;

[0029] FIG. 3 is a top view of an outsole member;

[0030] FIGS. 4A and 4B are sectioned views of different parts in exploded and assembled presentations;

[0031] FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C are cross-sectional views of the sole part of FIG. 4B;

[0032] FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate producing an article of footwear according to an example;

[0033] FIG. 8 shows a sectioned side view of another example of a sole part;

[0034] FIG. 9 is a sectioned side view of an example of an article of footwear comprising a chassis component;

[0035] FIGS. 10 and 11 show a further example; and

[0036] FIGS. 12 and 13 are flowcharts in accordance with certain embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] In the following certain detailed examples of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The like numbers in the drawings refer to like features.

[0038] FIG. 1 shows an example of an article of footwear, and more particularly a partially cut-out view of an article of footwear 1 with a flanged structure 4 for joining an upper part 2 and a sole part 3. More particularly, a stitch-out structure is shown. The stitch-out structure may comprise a leather or synthetic flange 6 extending from the lower edge of the upper part 2 and a flange portion 8 of a chassis part 10. A sole part 3 can be provided with edge portion 7 in the circumference of the sole part 3. The attachment between the sole part and the upper part can be provided through the flanged structure. The attachment can be, e.g., by stitching and/or adhesion and so on.

[0039] The sole part 3 can comprise different components. The example of FIG. 1 shows an outsole member 5 as the base component. The outsole member 5 can be made of suitable hardwearing material or materials. For example, an outsole member can be made of rubber, polyurethane, injectable ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), thermoplastic rubber (TPR) and/or any other material suitable for an outsole.

[0040] A specifically formed chassis part 10 is provided on top of the outsole member 5. A chassis part may comprise a base portion 15 at the center and a flange portion 8 at the periphery of the chassis part. As will be explained in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the base portion 15 extends laterally on a lower level than the flange portion 8 to provide a cavity 13 on the upper facing side of the chassis part and a downward extending portion 12 on the underside of the chassis part 10.

[0041] The flange portion 8 is arranged for sandwiching between similarly shaped flange member 6 of the upper part 2 and the edge portion 7 of the outsole member 3. The flange portion 8 of the chassis part 10 can be stitched by stitching 9 to the flange member 6 extending from the upper part 2.

[0042] The upper part 2 can be attached to the chassis part 10 through a stitch-out construction. This can be provided by stitching machinery. An example of providing the stitching is shown in FIG. 7. The upper may also be attached to the chassis part and the sole member by. Only a part of the stitch may be done by hand. Adhesion and/or fusion, or any other appropriate attachment technique may also be used.

[0043] The lower side of the flange portion 8 can be attached to the edge part 7 provided at the periphery of the outsole 5. The attaching can be done by stitching, by machine and/or hand, and/or adhesion and/or fusion, or by any other appropriate attachment technique.

[0044] The chassis part 10 can be made from a variety of materials. The material is preferably chosen such that it exhibits a durometer high enough to ensure proper tear strength from construction stitching at the flange structure area. Non-limiting examples of suitable materials include rubber, polyurethane, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), and so on.

[0045] It is noted that other structures for joining the upper and sole are possible. For example, the so called opanka or corner stich structure may be used instead of the stich-out structure of FIG. 1.

[0046] FIG. 2A shows a top view of an example of a chassis part 10. FIG. 2B is a cross-sectioned view along line A-A of the chassis part 10 of FIG. 2A. FIG. 2C shows a bottom view of the chassis part. As shown by the example of FIG. 2B, the chassis part 10 can comprises a flange portion 8 that is raised by a step 14 from the level of the base part 15. A difference compared to a conventional midsole made of a flat board is that the conventional midsole board would be flat and thus extend straight on a level over the entire width and length of the outsole 5 and the flange portion 7.

[0047] The upper surface of the base part 15 provides an upward facing cavity 13. The cavity 13 on the topside of the chassis part 10 is called herein as the chassis cavity.

[0048] The chassis cavity 13 can be filled with suitable filler material 18. The filler material can be, e.g., soft foam to provide cushioning and soft support for the foot. For example, the filler material may comprise of various formulations of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), polyurethane, open cell foam or the like soft foam material. Filler material 18 can be inserted within the chassis cavity at an appropriate stage of manufacture of the article of footwear.

[0049] FIG. 3 shows top view of an outsole member 5 that can be joined with the chassis part 10 of FIGS. 2A-2C. In this example the top surface of the outsole member 5 has been shaped to provide an upward facing cavity 11, hereinafter called outsole cavity. The outsole cavity 11 is provided within the raised edge formation 7 on the periphery of the outsole. In the shown example the outsole cavity is dimensioned to match the dimensions of the downward extending portion 12 so that the downward extending part 12 of the chassis part 10 of FIGS. 2A-2C can be inserted in the outsole cavity 11 and a good fit is provided between them.

[0050] The outsole 5 of FIG. 3 example has the ribbed bars in the forepart of the cavity 11. An outsole may also be provided without any rib or other formations in the forepart, or elsewhere in the cavity.

[0051] The surface contour of the downward protruding part 12 on the underside of the chassis part can be made substantially similar to the surface contour of the cavity 13 on the topside of the chassis part 10. An example of a stepped tray like contouring is shown in FIG. 2B. Instead of the stepped profile 14 the levelling between the base portion and the flange portion can be angled more smoothly. An example of a smoother step between the base portion and flange portion levels is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0052] The surfaces on the topside and underside can also have differing contours. An example of this is shown in FIG. 8.

[0053] Fitting of the chassis part 10 to the outsole member 5 of this example is shown in more detail in FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4A shows an exploded cross sectional side view from front to back of members of a possible sole part 3 according to the herein disclosed principles. FIG. 4B shows the sole part 3 is in assembled form. FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C are cross-sections of FIG. 4B along lines B-B, C-C and D-D, respectively. The bottom surface of the chassis part 10 faces the top surface of the outsole member 5. In the shown example the downward portion 12 is placed tightly in the outsole cavity 11 but this is not necessary in all implementations.

[0054] The geometry of the chassis part creates an outer flange that takes the place of the outer edges of a conventional midsole. The outer flange can be stitched to in accordance with the construction feature of a stitch-out shoe, while creating a space or pocket by pulling the base portion of the chassis part down into area that is conventionally occupied by the outsole. In this example downward extending portion 12 is accommodated in the outsole cavity 11. The pocket or cavity 13 on top of the chassis part 10 allows for a soft material 18 such as EVA or the like to be placed in the space that would have conventionally been occupied by the hard midsole board. This enables a sole unit where cushioning is provided directly under the foot, with no more hard midsole board to get in between.

[0055] As shown, e.g., in FIGS. 1, 6, 8, 10 and 11, at least one further component such as a separate footbed 19 can be positioned on top of the filler material 18.

[0056] In accordance with a possibility a piece of EVA or other filler material matching the shape of the chassis cavity 13 is provided. The filler material piece can be attached, e.g., cemented down to the chassis so that the filler material piece stays in place. The attachment can be done before the upper is lasted and sole laid into engagement with the chassis part. This can be advantageous in certain applications because getting into a finished shoe down in the toe part to apply adhesive and place the filler material in the chassis cavity may become a cumbersome task.

[0057] In accordance with another possibility a snap-in or snap-fit type arrangement can be provided between the chassis part and a filler material piece. For example, angles and/or shapes such as grooves and protrusions can be provided in the filler material piece and chassis geometries. These can be provided such that the fitting of the filler material can take place in a lasted and/or otherwise finished shoe.

[0058] At least one shank element 20 can be placed between the chassis part 10 and the outsole member 5. Cavities 21, 22 (see e.g. FIGS. 2C and 3) can be formed in the outsole and/or chassis parts for holding the shank element(s) in place. Cavities 25 and pillars or ribs 26 can be provided in the heels sections.

[0059] FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate an example of producing an article of footwear as described herein. A lasted upper part 2, a footbed component 19, a filler material component 18 of suitable soft material, a chassis component 10 with a chassis cavity 13 for receiving the filler material 18, and a outsole 5 with an outsole cavity 11 for receiving the underside insertion part 12 of the chassis component 10 below the flange level are shown in the explosion view of FIG. 6 before assembly of the components together.

[0060] In the top part of FIG. 7 a flanged construction according to the herein described principles is produced using a conventional stitching machine 30. At this stage the chassis flange 8 is stitched to the upper flange 6. In the lower part of FIG. 7 an outsole member 5 is attached to the chassis part 10 after the stitching stage.

[0061] FIG. 8 shows a sectioned side view of another example of a sole structure 3 with a chassis part 10. In this version a thicker footbed 48 is provided. The chassis part 10 is shaped to have a chassis cavity that has different depths at the toe section and the heel section thereof. That is, the cavity may have a step 40 where the depth of the chassis cavity changes so that the footbed 48 provided by filler material can be made thicker at the front part of the shoe. The chassis part 10 can also be shaped to have a chassis cavity depth that is constant from toe to heel.

[0062] The bottom side of the chassis part and the outsole cavity can be shaped accordingly. More than two chassis cavity parts of different depths can be provided.

[0063] The footbed 48 can also be made higher than the chassis cavity. This is illustrated by the dashed lined 49.

[0064] A heel cup 42 may also be provided. This can be made of the same or different material than the footbed 48.

[0065] The contour of the upper and outsole sides of the chassis component can be different. This is illustrated by the difference in the upper and bottom surface contours of the flange step 44 and the cavity step 40.

[0066] The construction of FIG. 8 is particularly suited for the snap-fit type assembly. The footbed 48 can be post applied as a filler material piece insert and snapped in or out of the chassis part in a finished shoe.

[0067] FIG. 9 shoes a sectioned side view of an article of footwear 1. A stitching 9 joins a flange portion 8 of the chassis part 10 to a flange portion 6 of the upper part 2.

[0068] According to the above examples substantially the entire base part, i.e., the entire area within the flange portion of the chassis part can be formed as a recess to provide a chassis cavity on the top side of the chassis part. It is also possible to have only a part of the internal area of the chassis part recessed. Also, more than one cavity can be provided on the upper side of a chassis part. For example, a first cavity can be provided on the heel section and at least one another cavity on the toe section of a chassis part. Different filler material can be placed in different chassis cavities.

[0069] More than one chassis part can be provided. For example, one chassis part can be provided in the toe section and another in the heel section. Two or more flanged chassis parts can also be placed on top of each other. Different chassis parts can be made of different materials.

[0070] A sole structure may also comprise further layers, such as additional cushioning, ventilation and/or waterproofing layers.

[0071] FIGS. 10 and 11 show an example comprising an outsole that does not need to be moulded or shaped in any specific way to have a specific geometry for facilitating fitting of the bottom portion of a chassis part into the sole part. FIG. 10 shows as a partially exploded view components of a sole structure comprising a chassis part 10 with a flange portion 8. The chassis part can be as described in the above examples. The chassis cavity 13 can be filled with filler material 18.

[0072] Instead of an outsole shaped according to the underside of the chassis part 10 a substantially flat outsole part 50 is provided. The void between the flange portion 8 and the edge portion of the outsole 50 is filled by an external or separate welt component 60 provided under the flange portion 8 and around the base portion 15 of the chassis part 10. The material of the external welt can be for example plantation crepe, rubber, EVA, outsole grade leather, felt, and various other materials that are typical for shoemaking and have appropriate wear characteristics. The external welt can be made from the same material as the outsole, or it can be something completely different.

[0073] FIGS. 12 and 13 are flowcharts according to certain examples of producing an article of footwear.

[0074] FIG. 12 shows a method where an article of footwear is produced by placing filler material in a chassis cavity of a chassis part at 100. If more than one cavity is provided, multiple cavities can be filled. A flange portion of an upper member is stitched at 102 to a flange portion of the chassis part, the chassis part comprising a base portion on a lower level than the chassis flange portion to provide the chassis cavity and at least one downward extending portion. An outsole member comprising edge portion at the periphery of the outsole member is then joined to the chassis part at 104. At this stage the flange portion of the chassis part is placed above the edge portion. The chassis flange portion is thus placed between the upper flange portion and the edge portion of the outsole.

[0075] The outsole member may comprise at least one outsole cavity on the chassis part side of the outsole member. The attaching may comprise inserting the at least one downward extending portion of the chassis part in the corresponding outsole cavity.

[0076] The stitching may be a mechanically provide stitch-out structure. The stitching may also be provided manually. An example of such is a corner stitched structure.

[0077] FIG. 13 shows another possibility of implementing the method where an article of footwear is produced by stitching at 110 a flange portion of an upper part to a flange portion of a chassis part. The stitching may be by machine and/or by hand. The chassis part comprises a base portion on a lower level than the chassis flange portion to provide a chassis cavity (or multiple cavities) and a corresponding downward extending portion. An outsole member is attached at 112 to the chassis part.

[0078] Filler material can then be placed at 114 in the chassis cavity or cavities of the chassis part. The filler material can be, e.g., snap fitted to the chassis cavity or cavities.

[0079] The outsole may comprise at least one outsole cavity on the chassis part side of the outsole member. The attaching may then comprise inserting a downward extending portion of the chassis part in a corresponding outsole cavity.

[0080] After the attachment an upper and sole combination may be subjected to one or more additional operations, such as welt finishing by a grinder, hot knife, sand buffeting, buffing wheels and so on. The edge of the outsole member can be finished e.g. by a thermal finishing tool such as a hot knife.

[0081] The herein described chassis part, or an element comprising a combination of a chassis and filler material can be understood as a type of a midsole, as it replaces the conventional midsole made from a flat board. A difference is that the herein described chassis part used in place of conventional midsole comprises a flange portion on the periphery thereof that is raised from the base part in the middle. The chassis part may provide advantage, e.g., in saving of materials, ease of manufacture of shoes, making sole construction thinner and/or more flexible. An article of footwear comprising a chassis part as described may be produced without increasing the toe height, or other measures, while providing improved comfort.

[0082] The foregoing description provides by way of exemplary and non-limiting examples a full and informative description of exemplary embodiments of the invention. However, various modifications and adaptations may become apparent to those skilled in the relevant arts in view of the foregoing description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. All such and similar modifications of the teachings of this invention will still fall within the spirit and scope of this invention.